Not Broken
by NaomiMiller
Summary: Post-Blackveil. Karigan has made it back to Sacor City and now must deal with King Zachary being married, the threat of Mornhavon's return, and the general antics of her fellow Green Riders. She feels broken and alone, but there may be someone to help her with that. Will she let him? T to be safe. Blackveil spoilers, you have been warned.
1. Welcome Home

**_A/N: Don't you just love those little Eureka moments you have when you're writing. I got to a point in Fastion's POV the way I was writing earlier when I thought why don't I start with Karigan's arrival and everything just flowed so much better from that starting point. And it increased the word count considerably so there's even more, which is always a plus! So this has been completely redone if you've read the original Not Broken I posted. DISCLAIMER: Any thing, one, or place you may recognize? I own nothing. It all belongs to the wonderful Kristen Britain. Enjoy!_**

**Fastion**

Fastion was on duty, watching the king in the Great Hall as he conducted the public audiences of the day. It had been the same routine items as it was most days: land and livestock disputes, marriage blessings, and the like. The sun was starting to sink into the distance outside the windows and servants were coming through to light the sconces along the walls. The line of petitioners was starting to dwindle to where only a handful remained to be seen.

Fastion was working on subtly shifting his weight on his feet to relieve some tension when Neff, the herald, came dashing through the doors and up the length of the hall. He skidded to an unceremonious halt at the dais. King Zachary was immediately alert. The few remaining petitioners watched the herald with barely concealed curiosity. They knew something important had to be going on.

"What is it Neff?" the king asked the panting herald.

"Y-y-your Majesty, it's S-sir Karigan," Neff said. Fastion noted the sudden tension in the king's posture at the mention of Karigan's name. He knew the feelings the king had for his rider, and knew that he had been worried about her. She had been missing for a little over two months after the events of Blackveil and she was presumed dead though no one believed that. Fastion hoped Neff brought good news.

"What about her? Has she been found?" the king said, barely concealing the urgency in his tone.

"Yes Your Majesty, she is riding up the Winding Way even as we speak," the herald said with a grin. Fastion wanted to shout with relief, but he was on duty and his training restrained him. He was ecstatic that his friend and honorary sister-at-arms had finally made it home. He had never given hope that she was alive somewhere.

"Thank Aeryc," he heard Captain Mapstone say. He glanced over at her out of the corner of his eye and saw that she was on the verge of tears. Fastion knew that she had been worried about her missing Rider and she blamed herself for Karigan's disappearance since she was the one who had chosen her to go on the Blackveil mission.

The king abruptly rose from the throne and descended the dais to address the petitioners still in the hall. "I apologize to you all, but an urgent matter has come up that I must attend to. Audiences are closed for the day."

Castle guards began ushering people out of the hall as the king swept out into the main corridor with Captain Mapstone on his heels. Fastion and Donal were close behind. Fastion found himself wondering what kind of legendary adventure Karigan would to tell about the time she had been gone. The girl seemed to have a knack for attracting trouble and lots of it. Even the stoic Weapon was having trouble wrapping his mind around some of the things she had told him that she had done and seen.

The king led them through the busy hallways, barely acknowledging those he passed. Everyone was finishing up business for the day and the halls were filled with people either headed for dinner or for home. Finally they came to the main entrance of the castle. Somewhere along the way Captain Mapstone had snagged a Green Foot runner to join them. The boy trotted alongside her as two guards pulled the heavy doors open and the party emerged onto the marble stairs leading up to the castle. Captain Mapstone said something to the Green Foot runner and sent him on his way.

The king did not stop until the bottom of the stairs. Here he and the Captain took up post on the bottom stair looking at the gates that led into the city. Donal and Fastion took up positions that were nearby, but not conspicuous and then they all waited; hoping this wasn't some cruel trick.

**Karigan**

Karigan felt like she had aged two lifetimes since the events in Blackveil. She had a feeling that she never would really be the same again, particularly after the being trapped in that Eletian cairn in a Sleeper grove for nearly a month. Somehow she had managed to stay alive despite the lack of readily available of food and water. She had her suspicions that Westrion and some other divine beings had a hand in that. According to Gael, the Eletian who found her, she had been in some kind of strange suspended sleep state. Karigan shook her head. She still didn't completely understand it all.

Karigan had stayed with Gael and his family while she recovered from her ordeal. Three more weeks passed before she deemed herself well enough to travel, which basically meant that she was able to sit on a horse without the world spinning and making her want to hurl her guts out. The Eletians had wanted her to stay longer and recuperate more, but Karigan knew she had to get back to Sacor City. She had to know what happened to the rest of her companions. She had asked her hosts, but they lived on the edges of Eletia and had not received any news yet.

Finally, realizing that she would go whether they liked it or not, the Eletians supplied a horse and provisions for her journey. While she and her new mount got along, Karigan still found herself wishing she had Condor with her, but he was still at the Wall where she had left him. Getting him back to the city would be her first order of business once she got back.

Karigan had been riding hard for two and a half weeks when she finally caught the first glimpse of Sacor City through the trees. Tears of relief pricked her eyes as she gazed at the city gates and the roofs of the buildings beyond. She had never seen a more beautiful sight in her entire life.

The sun was sinking behind the horizon when she reached the city gates. A pair of guards came out to greet her, wary expressions on their faces. She was surprised at their reaction, then realized that they didn't recognize her being on a different horse and covered in dust and muck from the road. She dusted off her once green coat as best as she could as they approached.

"State your business," the taller of the two declared.

"I'm a rider in the Green Rider messenger service, returning from a run," Karigan said.

"I don't see a message satchel anywhere," the other one said coming closer with his torch to see her better. "How do we know that you're not some imposter trying to get into the castle?" Karigan gave these guys credit that they didn't just take her at her word and wave her on through. She would have to get their names so she could commend them.

The taller once came closer as well and peered at her face, "You look fam-." He broke off in mid-sentence as his eyes widened in recognition.

"It's her!" he exclaimed to his partner.

"Who?"

"Rider Sir Karigan, the Green Rider who vanished on the Blackveil mission."

Karigan winced at the title. She still wasn't used to it yet. The man turned back to her.

"We all thought you were dead," he said with a tone bordering on awe.

"Well I'm here and I would really like to get to the castle so I can give my report and crawl into bed for the rest of my life," she said feeling the strain of the past few weeks starting to catch up with her. All she wanted was a hot bath, a solid meal, and her bed.

"Of course, of course. Crofter, dispatch a rider to the castle. They'll want to know about this right away," the tall one said. His partner hurried off to round someone up.

"Thank you," Karigan said as a side door was opened for her to pass. After recent events, the city gates and the castle gates were kept shut at night as a security measure.

As she urged her horse through the door, thundering hoof beats burst from off to her left as a horse and rider went galloping up the Winding Way to alert the king of her arrival. Summoning up her energy, Karigan urged her horse into a more sedate trot and followed the rider.

After her time on the road and in both Blackveil and Eletia, the sights and sounds of the city seemed overwhelming to her. It had been five months since she had been here or even in something remotely resembling civilization. On her return trip, she had stayed away from towns as much as she could in case anyone may have been looking for her.

At least she had arrived just after the time most businesses closed for the day and the streets were blissfully crowd free. Anxious to finally arrive and not sure how much longer she was going to be able to stay on the horse, Karigan took every short cut and side street that she knew to get to the castle, never breaking her horse's easy, steady rhythm.

After about twenty minutes the castle wall and gates came into view with the towers and turrets of the castle looming up behind them. Karigan saw that the gates were already open in anticipation of her arrival. A handful of guards stood on top of the wall above the gates, while there were more on the ground. Apparently news of her arrival had gotten around.

Calls of "Welcome back!" and "Good to see you" greeted her as she trotted through the gates. She could see a pair of people standing on the stairs leading up to the main entrance of the castle. As she got closer she could see that it was Captain Mapstone and King Zachary.

Karigan drew her horse to a halt before them and dismounted, grateful that her knees still seemed to be strong enough to support her. Falling face first in the dirt in front of her captain and her monarch was not something she particularly wanted to do. She handed off the reins to Hep, who was standing nearby and turned to face them. As she did she caught the two matching shadows of Donal and Fastion lurking in the background. She could've sworn she saw them faintly smile.

King Zachary looked as if he had aged even more than she had in the time she was gone, but she could sense an exuberant joy beneath his exterior mask. While he was doing a good job at keeping his king's mask in place, the relief at seeing her alive was as plain as day in his almond eyes. Even looking haggard he could still manage to look handsome. Karigan had to remind herself that they were in public and there were other people around otherwise she just might have thrown herself into his arms as happy as she was to see him.

Karigan dropped to a knee instead, "Your Majesty, I have returned from Blackveil Forest."

She felt him slip a hand under her arm to pull her up," Arise Rider Sir G'ladheon please. You've done enough and I think we can dispense with the formalities."

"Yes Your Majesty, I do have much to report," Karigan said.

The king held up a hand to stop her, "That can wait until later when you're of a more coherent state of mind. Right now I expect that you're in need of some food, a bath, and a good night's sleep. You can report to me when you've rested and recovered." He clapped her on the shoulder, "It's good to have you back Karigan."

Karigan managed a smile, her shoulder burning from where he touched her, "It's good to be back Your Majesty." He nodded and turned to head back inside with his two silent shadows. Donal greeted her with a warm nod as he passed.

Fastion did the same with an added, "Glad to have you back in one piece Karigan." The three of them disappeared into the castle.

No sooner had they left than Karigan was tackled in a massive bear hug from Captain Mapstone. Just when Karigan thought she was going to pass out from lack of oxygen the captain released her and held her out at arm's length, giving her a critical once over.

She fixed Karigan with a mirth-filled look, "So, do I want to know?"

Karigan grimaced, "Probably not."

Captain Mapstone nodded, "I figured as much. I'm just glad you're back. Now let's see about getting you settled in." She draped an arm over Karigan's shoulders as the two women headed inside.

"Welcome home Rider."

_**A/N: So what did you think? I want to hear from you, especially those who read the rather awful, stinted first effort. Also to the guest reviewer Machlud: Thanks and yes pacing is an issue of mine. I tend to write the bare bones in my mad sprints of inspiration and then have to go back and fatten them up a little (or a lot).**__**~Naomi**_


	2. A Nightmare and a Promise

**_A/N: Woohoo, another chapter! Amazed I actually got this one out as quickly as I did, what with everything going on. So here it is. Mostly from Fastion's POV and I had quite a bit of fun writing this one. Enjoy! DISCLAIMER: Any thing, one, or place you may recognize belongs solely to Kristen Britain._**

**Karigan**

"First things first, we're going by the Mending Wing," Captain Mapstone said, leading her rider through the castle. Karigan opened her mouth to protest, but the Captain held up a hand to cut her off.

"No arguments Rider, you're going. You look like death warmed over," she said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Karigan knew better than to argue with the woman. To be honest, Karigan felt like hell. It had been a while since she'd had a decent night's sleep and while the Eletians had given her plenty of their healing medicines and balms, she was certain a few of her wounds may have become infected.

Karigan followed the Captain into the Mending Wing. She was surprised to find a woman with the master's knots of a Mender on her shoulders presiding over the Wing. She shot a questioning look at the Captain who merely gave her an ambiguous, "I'll explain later."

The woman was only a few years older than Karigan, with curly blonde hair and emerald eyes. She was only slightly taller than the captain with the top of her head coming to a level with Karigan's nose. She looked up when the two women entered the wing.

"Captain Mapstone, what can I do for you today?" she asked in a pleasant voice that reminded Karigan of soft, chiming bells. It was soothing to her frayed nerves. Now that the excitement of being back had worn off, Karigan felt as if she would topple over with the slightest breeze.

"I have a Rider here that needs looking at Mistress Elayne. She just returned from a rather strenuous message run." The woman looked at Karigan, noting her worn clothing and pallid complexion. She immediately swung into business mode.

"Right, let's get you in here and see what we can do," she said ushering them into one of the many windowless, gray stone rooms that made up the Mending Wing. Mistress Elayne flagged down a passing apprentice once they were inside and sent him in search of Ben. Once the young woman had trotted off on her mission, Mistress Elayne closed the door and turned back to the other two women.

"I figure if we're dealing with Blackveil it'll be helpful to have someone with healing abilities on hand to deal with any issues of a magical variety."

Captain Mapstone nodded in agreement. Karigan didn't really care by this point. She sat on the bed and wasn't really inclined to move anywhere. She was only vaguely aware of Mistress Elayne as she began her examination. Karigan moved various parts of her body when prompted and answered questions when asked. At some point Ben showed up. He consulted with Mistress Elayne briefly before turning to Karigan. In the midst of her fog of exhaustion, Karigan could've sworn she saw him blush. She didn't think too long on it though. The last thing she remembered was a warm green glow before she was sound asleep.

**Fastion**

Fastion was finally off-duty. It was around midnight when Jakob, another Weapon, came and relieved him. He was ready to get some sleep, but first he decided to stop by the Mending Wing. Jakob had told him that was where Karigan had ended up when he asked him. Fastion walked through the quiet halls of the sleeping castle. For a man of his size he walked so quietly that no one would've known he was there. He had startled one of the castle maids a few moments earlier, causing her to nearly knock over one of the many suits of armor in residence throughout the castle. Fastion smiled to himself, although he did wish people would see past the uniform some days. He was a human being even if he was a Weapon. Although, then again, Weapons aren't exactly known for letting people in. Karigan was one of the very few people that had been let in. She was as close to a Weapon as anyone could be.

He reached the Mending Wing and found Mistress Elayne talking to an apprentice.

"Burning the midnight oil are we Fastion?" she said to the Weapon.

" I'm used to it Mistress. I was looking for Rider G'ladheon."

She pointed to a room across the hall, "She's just in there, but I'm afraid she's sound asleep."

"I figured as much. I just want to make sure she's okay."

"You Weapons really care for her. I had to ban her fellow Riders from the Mending Wing because they were so excited that she was back I feared they would cause more harm than good. I think I can trust you to contain your excitement," she said.

Fastion just smiled at the woman before entering the room she had indicated. Sure enough, Karigan lay curled on her side, sound asleep. It was the most peaceful he had ever seen the Rider. Of course, she didn't exactly live in peaceful circumstances, Fastion mused. He still couldn't fathom how she endured it all. It was enough to make anyone insane, what with gods and magic and all that. She was a truly remarkable person, his friend.

Fastion stood at the bedside and looked down at Karigan. It was still hard to believe she was actually here. After all the reports they had received from Lynx and other survivors of the Blackveil mission she had been presumed dead. While the rational part of Fastion's brain had agreed that there was no way she could've survived, another part of his brain never gave up hope. She always seemed to come out of impossible situations. He swore this woman had more lives than all of the palace cats combined.

Karigan stirred in her sleep, bringing him out of her musings. Her face looked troubled as she began to grow restless. Fastion reached down and smoothed her hair back from her now furrowed brow. Karigan moaned and fisted the sheets, rolling onto her back.

"No, no please," she muttered. Fastion realized she must be having a nightmare.

"No Yates! Please stop! Please!" Karigan's cries escalated in volume, echoing off the walls. Fastion took hold of her shoulders and shook her, trying to get her to wake up.

"Karigan, you need to wake up," he said shaking her a bit more forcefully as she began to thrash around.

"Please don't! Leave us be!" Karigan shouted.

"Karigan you need to wake up now," he commanded. Fastion stumbled into the bedside table as she gasped and bolted upright, wide awake. She looked around the room frantically before her eyes settled on him standing there.

"F-Fastion? What happened?"

"You were having a nightmare Karigan. I woke you up."

Karigan shuddered, "It was terrible Fastion. It was all dark and evil and awful. Something was picking us off one by one. There was nothing any of us could do. We couldn't see, we couldn't fight, all we could do was wait." She sounded so lost and alone. Fastion sat next to her on the bed. Before he knew what was happening she had thrown herself into his arms and buried her face in his tunic, sobs racking her body. Fastion got over the initial shock of this and wrapped his arms around her.

"It's all my fault they're dead. They were in danger and I couldn't save them. I couldn't do a damn thing," she sobbed.

At that point Mistress Elayne walked into the room, having heard Karigan's shouts. She stopped short when she saw the two of them.

"Nightmare," he told her simply. He then mouthed sleeping draught over the top of Karigan's head. Mistress Elayne nodded before withdrawing from the room.

Karigan was still sobbing in his arms, muttering about how things were all her fault and how she couldn't do anything about it. Fastion just sat there and held her. She finally subsided enough that he could pull back to look at her.

"Karigan, look at me," he said. She refused to meet his eyes, staring instead at the raised black stitching on his left shoulder.

"Look at me Karigan." He hooked a finger under her chin and tipped her head up so she had to meet his gaze. He was shocked by the look in her eyes. She looked so haunted, so broken. It rather unnerved him and that was saying something.

"It was just a nightmare. It never happened."

"But it was so real Fastion, so real," she whispered. Fastion looked at his friend. She had always been so strong for people in times of crisis and need. Now it looked like she needed someone to be strong for her. Fastion took her hands in his.

"It wasn't real. It was just a nightmare Karigan, see-" he took one of her hands and placed it over his heart, "-real beating heart." He gestured to the room, "Real walls, real bed, real castle, real you. It's over, you're home now."

"It was a dream?"

"It was a dream." Karigan slumped against him in relief. Her body was trembling as the adrenaline left her system.

"Aeryc and Aeryon, will I never be able to have a good night's sleep again?" Fastion didn't have an answer to that. He was saved from any further conversation when Mistress Elayne returned with the sleeping draught.

"Karigan, Mistress Elayne has something to help you to sleep." She looked up at him, panicked.

"No please, I don't want to go back to sleep. I don't want to go back there," she said.

"Karigan, trust me, you have to sleep. Not sleeping only makes them worse," Fastion told her.

"How do you know?"

He took a deep breath, "Because I've been there. Trust me; facing the nightmares is better than running away from them." He set her back at arm's length. How had this happened to his friend?

Karigan looked at Mistress Elayne who had come over to the bedside and then looked back to him. She extracted her hands from his and folded them in her lap. She gazed down at them, her unbound hair falling to hide her face. Fastion had never noticed how many shades of auburn and honey there were in her hair before.

"If it helps, I'll be right here, in case they come back," Fastion told her.

She looked up at him, "You would do that?"

"Of course, you're my sister- at-arms. I would never let you go through this alone."

"Alright, give me the sleeping draught," she said. Mistress Elayne handed her the cup with the draught in it. Karigan tipped it back, trying not to gag.

"Ugh, why must they always taste so vile?"

"Sorry, not much I can do about that," Mistress Elayne apologized. "If you need anything else, I'll be just outside making the rounds."

"Thank you Mistress," Fastion said. She nodded in acknowledgement before leaving the room.

Fastion dragged the only chair in the room over by the bedside as Karigan lay back down. She lay on her side, facing him.

"Thank you Fastion. You truly are a remarkable friend," she said, her eyes already trying to close.

"Of course, now go to sleep Karigan. I'll be right here." She reached out and took his hand from where it was resting on the edge of the bed. He squeezed it gently as she fell asleep. As he looked at his sleeping friend, he promised that she was not going to go through this alone. He was going to be right there with her, whether she wanted him to be or not

**_A/N: So what did you think? What do think should happen next? Please let me know in this nifty little box down below. Thanks~Naomi_**


	3. It's Only Human

_**A/N: Hello, I went back and revised the previous chapters, not much just some spelling, left out words, and a few additional things for my plot to actually make sense. I'm not all that sure about this chapter, it seems more like filler, but here it is. It's also seems a bit short. DISCLAIMER: Any thing, one, or place you may recognize belongs solely to Kristen Britain. Enjoy!**_

**Karigan**

The next morning Karigan awoke not sure what time it was. The room in the Mending Wing didn't have any windows to let in the outside light. That was one of the best nights of sleep she'd had in months. When she opened her eyes, she saw that someone had come in and relit the lanterns in the rooms. The oil-burning lanterns, though more expensive, kept the rooms from becoming too smoky. She also noticed that she was clean, someone must have washed her off last night after she had gone to sleep. It was nice not being covered in dirt and muck.

Karigan went to stretch, but froze when she saw a large shadow sitting by her bed. Karigan yelped and tried to scramble away from it, only managing to succeed in falling off the other side of the bed, bruising herself even more.

"Karigan? Are you all right?" a distinctly male voice said as a familiar face peered over the edge of the bed at her.

Of course, she had mistaken Fastion's black uniform for the looming shadow that had been sitting by her bed. It had been Fastion, her friend, sitting there, not some dark creature waiting to pounce. She vaguely remembered asking him to stay with her after having one of her nightmares. Apparently he had. Karigan passed a hand over face as her heart rate went back to normal.

"Not really. Hitting this stone floor did not really help my other injuries all that much. That truly did not feel good," she said from her sprawled position on the floor.

Karigan was surprised when Fastion snorted in amusement as he came around to the other side of the bed. It was rare for the Weapon to show some kind of emotion.

"No," he agreed, "I don't imagine it would. Here let me help you." He crouched down next to where she was struggling to get up. He took one of her arms and hooked it around his neck. One of his arms went around her waist and the other hooked under her knees. Karigan squeaked in surprise as he picked her up off the floor and gently deposited her back on the bed. Normally, Karigan didn't like feeling completely helpless, but this wasn't a normal situation. Well, okay, maybe for her it was normal. She seemed to spend a remarkable time in the Mending Wing since she became a Green Rider. She looked up and her blue eyes met Fastion's gray ones, which were only inches from hers. She had never noted the color of his eyes before.

"Thank you." Fastion pulled back and sat on the edge of the bed.

"You're welcome. You want to tell me what that was all about?" he asked her.

Karigan propped the pillows up against the headboard behind her so that she could sit upright. "It was just a reflex. I saw your black uniform out of the corner of my eye and after everything I've been through, I automatically assumed the worst and tried to get away from what I perceived as a dangerous threat." Karigan fought back a yawn as the adrenaline began running out of her system, leaving her to realize that she was still rather exhausted.

"You've been through a lot, but you're only human. It's normal for that to happen, in fact, I would've been surprised if you didn't have those reflexes."

"Am I human?" Karigan asked quietly as she drifted back into oblivion.

**Fastion**

Fastion sat there for a minute pondering Karigan's question. Was she human? She looked and acted like everyone else. Fastion had seen her wounded enough times to know that she bled just like everyone else. Surely gods didn't feel as frail as she had when he had picked her up a few minutes ago. But there was something about her. She always seemed to through incredible situations that would've killed anyone else. She's a friend of sorts with the Eletians. She was considered an honorary Weapon and had been one of the very few uninitiated to wear the Black. Then there were the aspects of her that even Fastion couldn't comprehend.

Her ability to not only completely fade out, but the ability to travel in time and even through the layers of the worlds. She had harbored both Mornahvon and the spirit of Lil Ambriodhe, the First Rider in her, carrying Mornahvon somewhere into the future to buy Sacoridia some more time to deal with his threat. She had somehow ended up inside Queen Estora's future resting place with Theandrius Silverwood's book that would allow them to repair the crumbling D'yer Wall and that didn't even begin to cover half of it. Not to mention her reluctant involvement with the gods who seemed to have taken a particular interest in her. Fastion looked at Karigan with a mixed look of amazement and respect. If she was human, she certainly wasn't an ordinary one.

His thoughts were interrupted by someone knocking on the door before entering the room. Captain Mapstone entered the room, followed by the king who was trailed by Donal and Jakob. Fastion stood as the group entered the room.

"Your Majesty, Captain Mapstone."

King Zachary looked surprised to see him there. "Fastion I thought you had the day off?"

"I do Your Majesty. I just came by to check on Rider G'ladheon." He saw Zachary glance towards where Karigan lay sleeping. Fastion thought that the king looked disappointed to see that she was asleep, but when the Weapon looked again, his King's mask was back in place.

"Of course, I know you have been worried about her," the king said. "Would you mind giving myself and the Captain a few minutes alone with her? That goes for you and Jakob as well," the king said addressing the last part to the other two Weapons.

"Of course Your Majesty." Fastion followed the other two Weapons out of the room. Donal and Jakob took up their posts outside the door. Donal looked like he wanted to say something, but it would have to wait for later since they were on duty. Fastion nodded at them both before heading off into the castle.

**Zachary**

Zachary had been surprised to find Fastion sitting on Karigan's bed in the Mending Wing. He had thought the Weapon would have been getting some rest, having been on duty all day yesterday. Although, now that he thought about it, it really shouldn't be that surprising. She had somehow earned the respect and even admiration of the normally exclusive Weapons. They all treated her as if she was one of their own. Zachary couldn't remember of ever hearing of another person who had managed to do that. Karigan was nothing short of extraordinary, but he already knew that. Despite the fact that he was now married to Estora, Karigan was still the one who owned his heart.

He had been disappointed to find that she was asleep, but Mistress Elayne had warned him that she probably would be. After the Weapons had left he stood there for a moment and looked at Karigan, shocked by how pale and thin she was. He could see freshly healed scars on her hands and forearms. There were dark circles under her eyes that stood out in sharp contrast to her pallid complexion. She had lost quite a bit of weight as well, her cheekbones were more prominent and her collarbone could be seen clearly where it poked out from under her nightshirt.

Captain Mapstone cleared her throat from where she stood beside him, giving him a warning look. Some days he really desired nothing more than to not be the king. He turned his attention back to Karigan. He hated to do it, but they had to wake her up. They couldn't wait any longer to hear what she had to say. Captain Mapstone reached out and shoved her shoulder.

"Time to get up Rider."

Karigan mumbled something unintelligible and tried to roll over. Captain Mapstone shoved her harder so that she was in danger of nearly falling off the bed.

"Come on Karigan, up and at 'em. It's nearly midday."

Karigan slowly opened her eyes, "Alright already, I'm up. What's so important?" She looked at her Captain then saw Zachary standing there. "Oh."

"Sorry to wake you, but we really do need to hear your version of the Blackveil events and where you were before you finally returned," he explained. Karigan nodded looking thoughtful for a moment.

"Do you think we could go outside? I really would like some sunlight to tell this story in. It's not exactly pleasant." Captain Mapstone stuck her head out the door and sent one of the Weapons in search of the Mender.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Zachary asked her as they waited.

"Better, now that I've had a good night's sleep and I'm clean." Zachary was glad to see that she still had her sense of humor with her. Mistress Elayne knocked on the door just then and entered.

"You sent for me Your Majesty?"

"Yes, I was inquiring if we might be able to remove Rider G'ladheon to the gardens for the afternoon?"

She fixed him with a hard look, "Is that all she's going to be doing?"

"Yes, of course. We just need to hear her side of events and she requested if it could be done outside. I thought I would check with you first," he said. He knew the Mender had every right to be concerned. Green Riders were notorious for not being the best patients and often trying to do things before they were supposed to.

Mistress Elayne turned to Karigan, "Do you feel up to walking?"

"I think so. I'll be probably be stiff and slower than a dead slug, but I can manage," she said, already pushing herself upright. Before he could move to assist her, Captain Mapstone was already there. Karigan gratefully took her proffered arm and slowly stood with a grimace. Mistress Elayne shooed everyone out of the room so that Karigan could change into something more presentable to walk through the castle. When she came back out, Karigan was dressed in a simple blue tunic with a pair of brown breeches and well-worn boots. She looked more like herself now, even if the clothes weren't green.

"Yes, definitely sore, but I'll be fine. I've walked in worse situations." No one could argue with her. They had all heard the stories. It still didn't do anything to stop Zachary from worrying as they made their slow progress from the Mending Wing. Servants and courtiers alike, all paused and watched them make their way past on their way to the gardens. Two more Weapons had joined them, walking in front of the Captain and Karigan so as to make it easier for them to get through the crowds. He saw more than one Green Rider come towards them, only to be warned off by a look from Laren. One or two of the younger ones looked to be in complete awe of seeing her in person. Zachary smiled to himself. She was quite the legend even if she was mortified to hear it.

It was another twenty minutes before they reached the gardens. The sun was streaming through the trees and birdsong filled the air as Sacoridia shook off some of the last vestiges of winter and moved into a true and proper spring. Karigan led them to a secluded pool where they could talk. Having seen her there before, Zachary knew this was one of places she came to be alone or to think something through. She gratefully sank down to the ground next to the pool and leaned her back against one of the trees. Zachary was about to protest that she take one of the benches, but realized that she seemed to be most comfortable there where she could stretch out her legs. He and Captain Mapstone sat on the two remaining benches across from her. The Weapons took up discreet positions around the area.

"Before we begin, can you tell me anything about the others?" she asked them hesitantly. Zachary's heart sank as he realized that she had no idea about what had become of her friends and traveling companions.

"When I stayed with the Eletians, I asked them, but they couldn't tell me anything. Please, I've been in the dark for nearly two and a half months. I have to know."

He heard Captain Mapstone take a deep breath, "This isn't easy to tell you Karigan, but Lynx, Tealgioth, and Ealdaen were the only survivors of the Blackveil mission."

Karigan only uttered one word before she broke down sobbing. "Yates." Zachary's heart broke for her and he wished more than anything he could go to her, but he was a king with a queen and she was only a Messenger. He could do nothing for her and it absolutely killed him.

_**A/N: If you see any discrepancies in regard to Blackveil, please let me know. It's been a while since I've read the book and since I can't get my hands on it right now, I'm going off what I remember. My main concern is what did you think of Zachary's POV? I'm not sure I really got it right. As always, please let me know what you think~Naomi**_

_**To my guest reviewers that I cannot reply to via PM:**_

_** : Thanks, and don't worry, this story is nowhere near it's end yet. Keep reading.**_

_**GracieFox: Glad you like the start!**_

_**goupdates: Don't worry there will be plenty more updates. It will probably start out as k/z just for the benefit of my plot, but eventually it will evolove into k/f. And I agree, there really aren't enough of these fics out there.**_


	4. The Return

**A/N: And update! Sorry for the wait, went on a Harry Potter binge recently and had to kick my brain into Green Rider mode. Also if anyone's been wondering the Eletian Gael, his name is pronounced "Gay-elle". DISCLAIMER: Any thing, one, or place you may recognize belongs solely to Kristen Britain. Enjoy!**

**Karigan**

Karigan had been dying to have information about what became of the rest of the Blackveil mission. Now that she knew she almost wished she didn't. With the inclusion of Yates, Blackveil had claimed two thirds of their party.

At the news of her friend's death, Karigan felt like someone had punched her in the stomach by one of the foes Drent always put her up against. All the air left her lungs and she couldn't breathe as the sobs she had been holding in the entire journey back escaped in a flood of tears. The logical part of her mind had known that her laughing friend had been dead as soon as Mornahvon had taken possession of his body, but another part of her mind had fought vehemently against that idea. Hearing that he really had not made it, just seemed to bring everything else home.

She was grateful that the Captain and King Zachary kept their distance and did not try to comfort her. If anyone touched her right now she wasn't entirely sure that she would be able to stop sobbing. She would just continue to let the tears fall until there wasn't a drop of water left in her and her body would just crumble to dust. As it was, it was a good ten minutes until she was finally able to pull herself together.

"Lynx arrived back about a month and a half ago. Somehow he and Yates had ended up in the Wanda Plains on Sacoridia's border with Rhovanny. He told us he buried Yates there and brought his brooch and travel log back home," Captain Mapstone told her quietly once Karigan had exhausted herself. Karigan could see the tears glistening in the other woman's eyes. She simply nodded, taking a shuddering breath.

"I'm sure he probably told you his side of things." They both nodded.

"Except for a few things towards the end, and obviously what happened after, I'm afraid there isn't much that I can add."

"We'd still like to hear your side of the story Karigan," the king said. It was so good to simply hear his voice again after so long. Karigan shook her head to clear her mind, now was not the time for that.

"Alright, but once I start please don't interrupt me," she asked them. They both agreed and she began her tale.

**Laren**

Laren listened to Karigan's tale with a mix of sickening horror and astonishment. She immediately felt guilty all over again for sending her Riders into the forest. In her efforts to separate Karigan and the king from each other, she had sent Karigan straight into a hellish nightmare.

Karigan had started with the moment they had climbed over the D'yer Wall and first set foot in Blackveil. It was as if Laren was standing right there with them, experiencing the bleakness of the forest, the fear as Blackveil began claiming them one by one. She was still astonished when Karigan told them of the Coutre forester trying to kill her. Zachary had been in a rage when Lynx had told them that part of the story. It wasn't until Estora had sworn till she was blue in the face that she knew nothing of it, that he finally calmed down.

Karigan told them of the Sacoridian soldier losing his mind to the forest and trying to turn against them. Her heart ached when Karigan told them of how she and Yates had become separated from the others. This was where Yates had gone blind and Karigan's sprawling writing had replaced Yates's neat script in the travel log. Laren couldn't even begin to comprehend the terror that must have been going through his mind at not being able to see in a place like Blackveil. Slowly Karigan got up to where they had found the tainted Eletian Sleeper grove and Laurelyn's legendary castle. Laren was still in awe that it was all real, fairytales come to terrifying reality.

Karigan finally reached the point to where Mornahvon had returned. She described the horror of the tainted Eletian Sleepers coming out and how Mornahvon had taken possession of Yates's body. Karigan paused here, taking a deep breath as if to loosen the tight grip that her emotions had on her throat. Again Laren's heart twisted in pain and guilt as she thought about her Rider's painful and terrifying last minutes on this earth. Karigan had a haunted and empty look in her eyes as if she were still far away in that forest. Laren knew that no matter how bad her imaginings were, they couldn't even begin to compare to the reality that she knew Karigan was seeing.

When Karigan told the part about the mirror mask, Laren heard Zachary gasp beside her. She vaguely remembered him mentioning something about a mirror mask while he was ill after being wounded. She wondered what the significance of it was. At last they got to the part that Lynx couldn't tell them. Laren listened in amazement as Karigan told them about smashing the mirror, absently rubbing a cluster of scars on her forearm.

"It was like when I broke the link between Amilton and Shawdell. When the mirror broke it was as if we were thrown into the universe. I couldn't see any of the others. All I could see was nothing but an endless sky of stars. I could hear wings beating the air and I was sure I was going to die. This was Westrion finally come to take me. Then everything went dark."

At this point Karigan trailed off as she turned her head to gaze into the water. Laren and Zachary both looked at each other. Before she had turned away from them, Karigan had looked terrified. What could be worse than what she had already told them? Both of them wanted to know, but they sensed that this was something that Karigan would have to tell in her own time so they held their tongues and waited. After another five minutes Karigan spoke, but she was so quiet that Laren and Zachary had to lean in closer to hear her.

"When I woke up it was dark. You've never seen such a darkness. Even if I held my finger to my eye I still wouldn't have been able to see it. It was completely void of light. The only way I knew I was awake and not dead was that I hurt too much to be dead. I tried to sit up, but smashed my head against a granite ceiling not three inches above my head. I started exploring around with my hands and discovered that I was in a stone box much like a tomb. I was completely trapped. The walls were smooth as glass, with not even a single crack or crevice for me to grab onto. It was the most terrifying experience of my life."

Karigan shuddered involuntarily. Laren found herself shuddering as well as she took in a deep breath to ease the tightness that had settled in her lungs at the thought of being buried alive. Gods, that was going to give her nightmares.

"I had no idea how long I had been in there before someone found me. Everything seemed to run together after a while. To me, all of time could have gone by outside and it wouldn't have been long enough. Somehow I had ended up in a cairn in an Eletian Sleeper grove on the edges of the Elt Wood. The Eletian who found me, Gael, was as shocked at finding me there as I was at being in Eletia in the first place. He took me to his home where he explained to me that he was the caretaker of the grove and had been doing an inspection when I guess he heard me move or something, since the next thing I know there's this searing light and an Eletian looking at me. When I asked him what day it was, I did the calculations in my head and figured out that I had been in that cairn for a month."

Laren's eyebrows shot up towards her hairline. A month trapped in a dark, stone box? A month with no food or water? Aeryc and Aeryon, how on earth was Karigan even sitting here right now? When she glanced over at Zachary, she saw that he had a matching expression of astonishment on his face.

"You're probably wondering the same thing I was. How could I be alive after spending a month trapped in a cairn with no food or water? Gael explained something about how I was under some kind of suspended sleep state much like the Sleepers," Karigan shrugged. "I still don't quite understand it all. I stayed with Gael and his family. They fed me, tended to my injuries, and gave me a place to stay while I recovered. I will be forever grateful to them. After three weeks I couldn't wait any longer to come back here, so they gave me a horse and provisions and two and a half weeks of hard riding later here I am."

There was complete silence once Karigan finished her tale. They had been outside for a few hours now, long enough for Laren to notice that the shadows had lengthened considerably since they had been sitting there. Karigan sat there with one hand idly trailing in the water.

Once again Laren was stunned speechless by Karigan's tale. If the tale had come from anyone else, Laren would thought they were crazy, but Karigan was one of the most down-to-earth people she knew. She would never make something like this up. Of course, it helped that she had witnessed some of Karigan's adventures first hand. Honestly, she had no idea as to how the Rider was still sane after all that she had been through.

She looked over at Zachary to see what his reaction was. He was looking at Karigan with a conflicted expression of awe and pensive thought. She wondered what was going through his mind at the moment. She felt only slightly guilty about burning the letters her old friend had given to her for the woman sitting in front of them, but it was best for the whole of the country that the king and Karigan stay apart. She wished it could be, but the nobility of Sacoridia would never accept their monarch choosing a commoner for his queen. For her part, Karigan had been trying to put some distance between herself and the king. She knew what was best for the country, even if it wasn't what was best for her heart. Now if only Zachary could get it through that thick head of his. Although a certain Weapon might be willing to help with that, Laren thought, thinking back to how Fastion had been looking at Karigan this morning when they had walked into the room. She almost laughed, but caught herself before it escaped her lips. She never would have expected it of the Weapon, but then again Karigan always seemed to be surrounded by the unexpected.

"So Mornahvon's back?" Zachary asked, breaking the silence and bringing Laren out of her musings.

Karigan nodded, turning to fix her eyes on him, "Yes, Your Majesty. He's back."

**A/N: So as always I would love to know what you think. Please leave a message after this note. ~Naomi**

**PS: To all my guest reviewers I cannot PM:**

**machlud: thaks! I enjoy a good a k/f fic too! ;)**

**taylor: I have been going through Karigan withdrawals as well. I'm glad you think that I got Zacahary and Laren's POVs pretty accurately. Thanks for reading!**


	5. No Rest for the Wicked

**A/N: Familar faces, Glad tidings, Bad tidings, and girl talk! Oh, and my plot finally showed up! DISCLAIMER: Any thing, one, or place you may recognize belongs solely to Kristen Britain. Enjoy!**

**Fastion**

Fastion walked into the mess hall to grab something to eat before he went back on duty again. As he entered the room he spotted Brienne and Willis, two other Weapons, seated in the corner engaged in quiet conversation. Of course, it may have just seemed quiet because he couldn't hear it over the boisterous group of Green Riders sitting nearby. When Fastion saw Karigan's friend Teagan at the center of the group, he understood the reason for the group's rowdiness. The young woman was a well-known trickster and joker who was often at the center of any kind of festivities. Fastion shook his head with a faint smile at the group as he took his food and went to join his fellow Weapons in the corner. They were not smiling, however.

"Fastion," Brienne greeted him with a nod.

"Evening Brienne, what brings you up from the Tombs today?" he asked the woman as he sat next to Willis.

"It's because of the Tombs that I'm up here," she told him grimly.

He crooked an eyebrow at her, "Oh?"

"Brienne was just telling me about some rather odd happenings in the Tombs recently," Willis interjected. "Being a former Tomb Weapon maybe you could shed some light on the subject."

Fastion was not liking where this conversation was going, "What kind of happenings?"

Brienne shrugged, "At first it was minor things, like a relic moved or a torch going out at random. General things that are bound to happen at one time or another. Sometimes we'd find footprints where we knew no one had been recently. Once the business end of a battle axe in the Avenue of Heroes nearly cleaved a caretaker in two when it fell from its mounting on the wall. Then things began to go missing, a piece of cloth here, a ring or coin there. We never could figure out what was going on or who was behind it. Then early yesterday morning one of the caretakers disappeared. Completely vanished. It's not unusual for some of them to get lost every now and then, but they usually turn back up in a couple of hours. When she didn't return we started looking for her. We searched as much as we could, but we still can't figure out where she went."

"What kind of relics were taken?" Fastion asked her. All of his attention was focused on their conversation. Nothing else existed at the moment.

"Mostly small items, but they were all thought to have some kind of arcane ability, similar to a Rider's brooch. The thing that bothers me the most though is that much of what's gone missing belonged to some of Sacoridia's earliest people who had dealings with Mornahvon and the Arcosian Empire."

Fastion really did not like where this conversation was going, "What about the missing caretaker?"

"Amina. Her family has been in the tombs for generations. She's probably somewhere around twenty-five. It's hard to tell with the caretakers sometimes since they age differently down there, what with not being exposed to the elements and all. She's one of the friendlier and more sociable of the caretakers. She and her husband, Avian, have a one-year-old son named Phillip. She's skilled in languages and often assists Agemon, in fact, she…" Brienne trailed off as her eyes widened in shock.

"In fact what?" Willis prompted her.

Brienne looked rather pale, which was saying something for a Weapon. "She assisted Agemon in translating the Silverwood book about the D'yer Wall."

Fastion felt the blood drain from his face at the implications of what she had just told them. Willis looked slightly green. If anyone had looked at the three Weapons just then, they would've been scared for their life because only the most dire circumstances could unnerve a Weapon.

Finally schooling his face back into its normal stoic expression, Fastion stood. "We need to speak to the king immediately."

**Zachary**

Zachary was poring over provincial reports in his study. It was a failing attempt to bury his mind in matters of the kingdom, to distract himself from recent events. He sighed in frustration as he realized he had read the same paragraph of the D'yer report five times. Apparently paperwork wasn't going to help any. He was married now, albeit it was against his will, but he was married nonetheless. He should be forgetting about _her_, but instead, now that she was back she just seemed to loom even larger in his thoughts. He had been very careful to keep his left hand hidden during their conversation earlier. He didn't want her to know he was married just yet. He didn't want to add that burden to her right now. Zachary leaned back in his chair and turned his gaze to the ceiling. Just then a knock sounded at the door, interrupting his musings.

"Enter," he called bringing his gaze down to the door as it opened and Fastion stepped in.

"Your Majesty, myself and the Weapons Brienne and Willis would like a word with you if you will," he said standing just inside the door.

"Of course," Zachary said. Something in the Weapon's manner told him that this was urgent. If it was urgent to a Weapon then it was certainly something that could not wait. He put away his pen and ink and cleared away the papers from his desk as the other two Weapons entered the room.

"What's this all about?" he asked the trio. He didn't bother offering them a seat. He had learned early on that it was a futile gesture. Both men turned to look at Brienne. Zachary looked at the Weapon expectantly.

"We have a situation in the Tombs that we thought should be brought to your attention," she began. "Recently several artifacts have gone missing and yesterday morning one of the caretakers simply vanished." Zachary listened to this with a growing sense of foreboding. Of course, all of the other recent times that the Weapons had been concerned about the Tombs, nothing good had ever come of them.

"We have a very strong reason to believe that the Second Empire may have a hand in these events. All of the missing artifacts belonged to people who had dealings with Mornahvon and the Arcosian Empire. Many of them are believed to have some form of arcane abilities. The other strong factor in this is that the caretaker who's missing is skilled in several different languages and assisted Agemon in translating Theandrius Silverwood's book."

By now Zachary was leaned forward in his chair with his hands folded together on top of his desk. His face was one of rapt attention. This news certainly did not bode well at all, especially on the tail of having just learned about Mornahvon's return.

"Have you searched for this person?" he asked Brienne.

She nodded, "Yes Sire, we searched as much as we could with the time and resources that we had."

Zachary heard the implied message there. "I want you to take every available Weapon and as many soldiers as you need to search every inch of the Tombs if you have to, to find them," he said taking out his pen and ink and a clean piece of parchment. He quickly scrawled a message before folding it and sealing it with wax, marking it with the royal crest.

"Give this to Agemon. It tells him that everyone is down there under my orders and they are _all_ to return back to the castle when their task is finished," he said handing her the message. "Feel free to enforce it if necessary. I know what a stickler the old caretaker is for rules." Brienne smiled faintly as she took the paper from him.

"Don't worry, I'll keep him line."

Zachary nodded, the Weapon was about the only one Agemon conceded to. "I'm sure you will. Is there anything else that you wish to discuss with me?"

"There is one other thing Your Majesty," Willis said stepping forward.

Zachary wondered what else there could possibly be. "Go on."

"It's about Rider G'ladheon. Given her record in dealing with the Second Empire and thwarting many of their attempts to take power and her current condition, we believe it may be wise to post a guard at her room for the time being, at least until she's regained her strength enough to fend for herself." Here Willis grinned, "in which case, she'll probably be spending a majority of her time with Drent who's ready to get her training started again."

Zachary pondered the situation for a moment. It definitely made sense that the Second Empire would more than welcome a chance to get Karigan out of the way of their plans. With the current threat of the group being within castle walls again and her being injured it certainly gave them the perfect opportunity to try. She wasn't going to be too thrilled about it though.

He nodded in approval, "Alright, choose one off-duty Weapon and station them at her door. In the meantime, find whoever is in the Tombs and bring them to me."

All three Weapons nodded in unison, "Of course Your Majesty."

He thanked them and they quickly made their way out of the room, ready to set their plans in motion. Zachary leaned back in his chair, staring at the door. _That_ had certainly taken his mind of things.

**Alton**

Alton D'yer paced back and forth in his tent in the encampment by the breach in the wall that had been built by his ancestors. He had been trapped in the tent a large portion of the afternoon by the massive rainstorm that had rolled over the camp a few hours ago. He had tried to get some paperwork done and such, but there were so many things weighing on his mind at the moment that he finally gave up.

Theandrius Silverwood's book was proving to be tremendously helpful, but mending the breach in the wall was not a simple task and progress (while it was progress) was infuriatingly slow. Having heard from Trace about the Blackveil mission a few months ago and with a copy of Lynx's report delivered to the camp a few weeks later by Peter, one of the new Riders, he was even more anxious to get the wall fixed before any more of that hellish forest could escape.

It was in that report that they had finally uncovered the mystery of what had happened to Estral's voice in the recounting of the young Second Empire girl singing with his beloved's stolen voice. It broke Alton's heart to see how miserable and despondent Estral had become both before and even more so after this news. A minstrel without her music was akin to a Green Rider without a horse. She mostly sat at the edge of the encampment in the fringe of the woods, listening to the sounds around her. Occasionally Alton would convince her to come on a ride with him or to visit the towers and their various guardians. Often times at night she would silently cry herself to sleep in his arms. It made him feel so powerless that he couldn't do anything to help her. Powerless was not an emotion Alton D'yer dealt with very well.

Blackveil seemed to be the root of all his troubles lately. First the wall, then Estral, and now it has claimed the life of one, possibly, two of his friends. Every Rider stationed on the wall and even several of the non-Riders in the camps had been devastated to hear the news of Yates' passing and that Karigan was still missing in action. Alton, Dale, Fergal, Trace, and Peter, had performed the Rider memorial ritual for their fallen friend. Alton knew that it still weighed heavily on both Estral and himself as to how they had left things with Karigan before she had entered Blackveil. Now the possibility that they may never see her again, only increased the guilt and remorse that they felt.

Alton ran his hands through his hair and passed them slowly over his face, sighing heavily. All of this worrying wasn't helping matters at all. What he needed was to get out of this stuffy, humid tent and get some fresh air, to hell with the torrential downpour outside. Maybe it would simply wash everything away for a while. He pulled on his overcoat and drew the hood over his head before pulling the tent flap aside.

No sooner had he set foot outside, than a shrill, piercing whinny from the nearby picket line broke through the constant roar of the rain falling through the trees. Alton froze in his tracks, not entirely sure he had heard correctly. A movement to his left caught his attention as Dale came stumbling out of her tent, pulling her coat on. He and the other Rider shared a questioning look before the same whinny came again. This time there was no doubt about what they had heard.

"Condor!" they both shouted, as they immediately sprinted for the picket line. Karigan's horse had been nearly as despondent as Estral these last few months with his Rider off in Blackveil. This was the first time they had seen any kind of action from him since Karigan's departure. Both Riders knew that when a Rider and their horse were separated, something like this usually meant that something had happened to the Rider.

They arrived at the picket line on the edge of the camp panting and generously splattered with mud. Condor could be seen on the far end of the line, standing at the very limits of his tether, prancing and snorting and tossing his head like he was a newborn colt. Alton had never seen the gelding act like this before. Watching the obviously happy horse, his heart began to fill with hope.

Dale tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to look at her and she pointed to her ear. "Listen!"

Alton listened carefully, trying to hear through the rain beating down on his hood. After a second or so he could make out the pounding hoofbeats of a galloping horse approaching them from down the wall. Another moment later and a horse and rider materialized out of the curtain of rain.

Alton immediately recognized Trace's chestnut paint gelding Devin. The horse was rather distinctive. Trace herself was bent low in the saddle, urging Devin on for all he was worth, her blonde hair plastered to her head and neck. He wondered if she would even see them standing there at the pace she was going. Apparently Dale had the same thought.

"TRACE!" Dale bellowed with enough volume to make Alton jump. It had the desired effect though as the Rider straightened in her saddle and when she spotted them, she pulled Devin to a sliding stop in front of them, splattering even more mud everywhere.

"Alton, Dale!" she cried from Devin's back. "I've just heard from Connly. They've found Karigan! She's alive and back in Sacor City. She just got there a couple of days ago!" Even in the gloom and rain, the two unmounted Riders could see Trace's beaming smile.

Dale whooped and pulled Alton into a crushing bear hug before dancing him around in the mud and rain. Both of them wore smiles as big as Trace's.

"She's back! Gods above, she's back!" Dale shouted to the treetops.

"I figured you guys would want to know as soon as possible. I've got to head back if I want to get any food before the men get to it all," Trace called to them.

"Thanks Trace, and take it easy on the way back. Devin looks about done in," Dale called back.

"Don't worry, I will. See you guys later," she said with a wave before turning Devin back around and disappearing back into the mist and rain at a sedate walk.

Dale slung an arm around Alton's shoulders, "Come on, let's get back and tell the others. I think this calls for a celebration."

Alton rolled his eyes good-naturedly at his friend. "You think everything calls for a celebration, like your Limb Liberation Party. Although I do agree with you that this is a cause for celebration. I just have one thing to do first." He slipped out from under Dale's arm and walked over to where Condor was standing, still snorting and tossing his head. He gave Alton a bright-eyed inquisitive look as he approached. Alton ran a hand over the gelding's muzzle.

"You were right Condor, she really is home. Now to just get you back there as well."

Condor nudged Alton with his head as if to say "Well get a move on already!" Alton laughed, giving the horse one last pat before rejoining Dale and heading back to the camp to share the good news with everyone else.

**Karigan**

Karigan was back in her room in the Mending Wing. She was actually rather happy to be there as the events of the afternoon had thoroughly exhausted her and she knew that if she had been in the Rider Wing she would have never gotten a moment's peace. As it was she was just dozing off when there was a knock on her door and Mara entered her room. Karigan smiled, genuinely pleased to see her friend.

"Are you aware that there is a very large stone wall blocking your door?" her friend said sitting in the chair near Karigan and propping her feet up on the edge of the bed.

"It's nice to see you too. Please make yourself at home," Karigan said drily, giving her friend and amused look.

Mara stuck her tongue out at her. "It's good to see you too and I will. Now answer the question."

"No, I didn't know that there was a large stone wall in front of my door. It doesn't happen to be wearing black does it?"

Mara tapped her bottom lip in mock thoughtfulness, "You know, now that you mention it, it was wearing quite a bit of black with a few sharp edges. I think it goes by the name of Rory."

Karigan rolled her eyes, "Probably Fastion's doing. Although why he thinks I need someone to guard me is beyond me."

"That's interesting. Rory blocked me from getting in and when I asked him why he said that it was the _king's_ orders to have someone at your door."

Karigan scowled. Why was the king always trying to interfere with her life? Well, really she knew _why_, but it was still infuriating. She knew it was important for everyone involved that they distance themselves from each other, but he was certainly not making it easy for her.

"Why does _he_ think I need protection?" Karigan grumbled.

Mara merely shrugged. "Don't ask me, although there must be something going on because it seems like all the Weapons and plenty of regular soldiers have disappeared from the castle. I heard some rumors going around about a missing caretaker and a search of the tombs."

Karigan shuddered. She'd had more than her share and then some of tombs and death. If she never saw another tomb or catacomb again for the rest of her life she would be ecstatic. "So how _did_ you get past the stone wall that is Rory?" she asked her friend changing the subject.

Mara gave her a mischievous smile. "I have my ways."

Karigan cocked an enquiring eyebrow at her friend.

"Oh alright fine. I threatened to burn his uniform off of him and he decided he would be gracious enough to let me see my friend who I've been worried about for the last five months. Of course that was after I had to swear to all the gods that I wouldn't cause you any undue excitement." Mara rolled her eyes. "As if I didn't know that already."

Karigan snorted in amusement before collapsing into a fit of giggles as she pictured her friend threatening to burn a Weapon's clothes off. She could easily see Mara doing something like that.

"I don't see what's so funny about it all," Mara said trying to act like she was offended, but there was a smile pulling at her lips.

"Sure you don't," Karigan said once she had subsided, rubbing her bruised ribs. Laughter hadn't really helped matters much in that department. However, Karigan felt lighter being able to talk and laugh with her friends again.

"Okay I do," she admitted with a chuckle. "Although I was half hoping he would refuse. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't mind seeing a Weapon not wearing black if you know what I mean," she said waggling her eyebrows suggestively. Karigan shook her head at her friend as she chuckled.

"What? I bet they are a work of art underneath all that leather and cloth, all hard muscle and sinew," Mara said staring off into space dreamily.

"I'm sure," Karigan said, thinking back to that morning when Fastion had picked her up off the floor. The Weapon was definitely a solid wall of muscle there was no doubt about that She thought back remembering the feeling of his arms flexing around her and the hard barrier of his chest that her side had been pressed up against. The she started thinking about a different pair of arms, a different chest. Karigan saw where her mind was trying to take her and immediately brought that horse to a screeching halt. She shook her head to clear those thoughts away, turning back to her friend.

Mara was still staring off into space dreamily with a faint smile playing about her lips. Karigan knew that look. She'd seen that look on the faces of her schoolmates at Selium and her fellow Riders before. She recognized that look.

"Who is he?"

Mara startled at her voice and looked at Karigan, "What?"

"Who is he?"

"Who's who?"

"The person you were just thinking about undressing."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I wasn't thinking about anyone," Mara protested even as a blush started to creep up her neck.

"Who is he Mara?" Karigan persisted. By now her friend was well and truly red.

"I still don't know what you're talking about," the other woman said refusing to meet Karigan's eyes.

"Mara."

"Karigan."

"You know, either you could tell me or I can start asking around about your mystery man. I'm sure Teagan would be more than willing to help me," Karigan told her.

Her friend snapped her eyes around to look at Karigan in horror, "You wouldn't!"

"Try me," Karigan said giving her a wicked grin.

"You're evil, you know that right?"

"So I've been told. Now quit changing the subject. Who is he?"

Mara finally threw her hands up in exasperation. "Alright already! Gods but you're persistent. I'll tell you, but you have to promise that you won't laugh and you won't tell anyone."

"I'm not making any promises about the laughing, but I swear I won't tell a living soul. Your secret's safe with me," Karigan said.

"Fair enough," she said taking a deep breath. "It's Donal."

Karigan blinked at her friend for a moment before gleefully shouting, "I knew it!"

Mara looked up from her hands that she had been very deliberately scrutinizing. "You knew what?"

"I knew there was something between you two."

"How did you know?" she said. "Does anyone else know?"

"I guessed from how you were acting during our staff sessions with him. I don't think anyone else knows." She nearly laughed as Mara gave a huge sigh of relief. "Does Donal know this?"

"No, at least I haven't told him," her friend told her.

"Are you still taking those lessons?"

Mara smiled, "Yes, they're so much fun." Seeing the smirk that Karigan was giving her she added, "And not just because of who is teaching me Karigan G'ladheon."

Karigan held her hands up in defense, "I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to."

Just then the girl's chatting was interrupted by a knock on the door. They looked at each other before turning back to the door as it opened and for the second time that day King Zachary walked into her room. This time it appeared that it was just him. Karigan felt her good mood start to ebb away as Mara leapt to her feet and bowed.

"Your Majesty."

He nodded to both of the women, "Rider Brennan. Rider Sir G'ladheon. I hate to interrupt your conversation, but I'm afraid that I need to speak with Rider Sir G'ladheon."

"Of course Your Majesty," Mara said, turning to Karigan. "I'll come back later." Before Karigan could say anything, her friend was gone, leaving her completely alone with the king. She'd rather be facing Mornahvon again. He sat in the chair that Mara had just vacated and fixed those damnable amber eyes of his on her. There were a few more lines around them than she remembered. He was the first to break the uneasy silence.

"Karigan, we really need to talk."

**A/N: Honestly when I started writing this chapter the chat between the Weapons was just supposed to be light-hearted banter, but then they apparently had other ideas, but thanks to them I am no longer writing blindly along wondering where I'm going next...for the most part. So what did you think? As always I love to hear what you lovely readers have to say. Leave me a note after this message~Naomi**


	6. The Edge

**A/N: Another chapter! WooHoo! DISCLAIMER: Any thing, one, or place, you may recognize belongs solely to Kristen Britain. Enjoy!**

**Fastion**

The one thing Fastion did not miss about the Tombs was the cold. Even with a torch and a fur-lined cloak, it still managed to seep under his skin and settle into his bones. Being a former Tomb Weapon he had been relieved of his duty and sent down to aid in search for whoever was down here.

They had all gathered in the chapel dedicated to Westrion. It was the only place in the Tombs that was large enough to accommodate the group. Brienne spread the map that she had wrangled from Agemon on a table that had been brought in from another room. The head caretaker himself was standing off to the side, wringing his hands and looking ready to pitch a fit with all of these outsiders in his domain. If the situation wasn't so serious, Fastion would have laughed at the man.

"Alright everyone, we're going to splitting into groups of three. Each group will have at least one person who is familiar with the layout of the Tombs. Each trio will be assigned a section to search. When we've searched all the main parts of the Tombs, we'll staring exploring the farther reaches of the Tombs. I have a feeling that's where we'll find the culprits behind this. As we're going through these areas keep an eye out for missing items and any signs of recent disturbances. Here's how we're going to split it up," Brienne said. Everyone listened closely as she divided them up into search parties. Fastion had two Sacoridian soldiers with him. There was more talk of meeting places and times before they all split off in their separate directions.

Fastion's group had been given a little-used part of the Tombs to search. He had only been that way a handful of times himself.

"Alright, follow me and stick close. It's pretty easy to get lost down here if you don't know where you're going," he told his two companions, Private Bart Faber and Corporal Jonathan Castell.

"You have to admit, it's plain creepy down here," Private Faber said, pulling his cloak tighter about him as they made their way through the Tombs.

"That it is; I certainly wouldn't want to be lost down here," Corporal Castell agreed. Fastion resisted the urge to laugh at the two men. He had a feeling that would do little to improve the rest of their time in the Tombs. The trio walked down the Avenue of Heroes until eventually the shadows swallowed them.

**Karigan**

At the king's words, Karigan's heart sank. She didn't want to have this conversation now. Of course, if she had her way, they wouldn't be having this conversation at all. Unfortunately she didn't have much of a choice in the matter as he was her king and due to her weakened state she was pretty well trapped. _Better get this over with now_, she thought.

"What do we need to talk about Sire?" she asked, deciding to play dumb and see which issue came up first.

"Well, there are several things that I could think of, but a rather urgent matter came to my attention earlier this afternoon that I thought you should be made aware of," he said. Karigan brought her gaze down from the ceiling to look at him. This was certainly not the conversation that she had been expecting.

"What's happened?"

"We have reason to believe that the Second Empire may be back in the castle." Karigan thumped her head back against the headboard. Would she never be able to catch a break?

"Several artifacts have gone missing from the Tombs and one of the caretakers who helped Agemon translate the Silverwood Book has gone missing," the king continued, his amber eyes solemn. At the mention of the book, Karigan's heart stopped. Her mind immediately went to Alton and Estral and all of her other friends at the wall. Condor was still there for all she knew.

"Lieutenant Connly had nothing new to report from the wall today," he told her as if sensing her thoughts. Karigan nodded, relaxing slightly. "As far as anyone can tell, these are all recent occurrences and they haven't had the time to put anything in place yet. If our efforts pay off, we'll catch them before they _can_ put anything in place. Every available Weapon and soldier is currently scouring the Tombs for whoever is behind this."

Something clicked in Karigan's mind and she turned her head to look at him. "Is this why you posted a Weapon at my door?"

"It is, although it was their idea, I just agreed with them. Given your dealings with the Second Empire and how you've constantly thwarted their attempts at bringing the Empire back they thought it was prudent to put a guard on you given your current condition. It would give them the perfect opportunity to try to kill you if they are indeed back in the castle," King Zachary explained.

Karigan knew he was right, but it still irked her that people thought she needed protection. She had to admit that she certainly wasn't in any position to defend herself, but they had bigger things to worry about than protecting her.

Once again the king seemed to sense what she was thinking as he leaned forward and took both of her hands in his. "Please Karigan, for my own sanity; please accept this just this once. I've nearly lost you once, I don't think I could bear the thought of losing you a second time."

The blunt honesty and sincerity of his words momentarily disarmed Karigan. It was the most open he had been about his feelings for her since that night on the castle roof so long ago. It tore at her heart hearing these words from the man she loved and knowing that she couldn't accept them because he was promised to another. At this thought she came back to her senses as anger replaced her anguish. How can he sit there and play with her emotions like this when he is betrothed to another woman? She was trying to move on, but apparently he felt that because he was king he could still try and have her while being married to another.

"I'll accept the protection only because it was the weapon's idea," Karigan said coolly, extracting her hands from his. "Was that all Your Majesty?"

His face fell at her words, sensing the rebuff behind her tone and manner. "Karigan-"

"Your Majesty, if that is all that is required of me this even, I am feeling rather tired and would like to rest now. I'm sure Lady Estora and your advisors are looking for you by now," Karigan said cutting him off and hating every word that passed her lips, leaving a sour taste on her tongue.

King Zachary got to his feet, "Of course, Rider Sir G'ladheon. I've kept you long enough. Rest well and stay safe."

"You as well Your Majesty," she said as he crossed to the door.

He paused and turned back to face her with his hand on the knob. "It's Queen Estora actually."

Karigan stopped breathing. There wasn't any air left in the room _to_ breathe. Surely she hadn't heard him correctly? "What?"

"It's _Queen_ Estora now. Estora is my wife," he said before opening the door and taking his leave.

Karigan waited until his footsteps faded away before she collapsed into wrenching sobs that threatened to split her chest open as her heart rent itself into a million pieces. She had been on the edge of breaking since she returned and the news that the man she loved was lost to her forever had sent her plummeting into the abyss. She was well and truly broken, but she would be damned if she let anyone see it. She eventually cried herself into the oblivion of sleep where golden-haired children with almond eyes tormented her dreams.

**Alton**

Alton was looking over Theandrius Silverwood's book with Merdigen in the Tower of the Heavens when Fergal came trotting through the archway in the center of the tower. Alton glanced up at Fergal's entrance as he rubbed his eyes to clear away the words that were still swimming in his vision. He had been staring at the pages since dawn, trying to figure out a piece of the magic in the wall that was puzzling him. Something wasn't right here.

"Oh good, you're here," Fergal said when he saw the two of them sitting there.

"Of course he's here boy, where else would he be?" Merdigen said irritably. He had been irritable all morning, as frustrated by the missing piece in the magic as Alton was. The news and ensuing celebration of Karigan's return certainly hadn't helped matters any. Alton had seen Dale looking rather peaked this morning. Fergal didn't look much better and Alton was far from a pretty sight himself.

"What is it Fergal?" Alton said, giving Merdigen a look. The projection simply shrugged.

"Trace received some news from the castle a few minutes ago." Alton straightened at his tone. He had rarely seen the new Rider look so serious.

"What news?"

"There has been a rash of thefts in the Tombs involving mostly small items with some arcane ability and usually belonging to someone who had ties or dealings with the Acadian Empire." Alton didn't like where this was going, but he was wondering what this had to do with them and the wall. "Two days ago, one of the caretakers was reported as missing. Apparently she was one of the ones who had helped Agemon with translating the Silverwood book. The king and his advisors have a strong reason to believe that the Second Empire is behind it." Alton looked at Fergal with growing horror as his mind comprehended what he had just been told. If the Second Empire learned the secrets of the wall, all the work and progress they had made in the last several months would have been for naught. He hoped to the gods that they found whoever was responsible for this before they could do anything.

Fergal seemed to be thinking the same thing, "Connly said the king has launched a search of the entirety of the Tombs to find the persons responsible for this."

"Good."

"There's one more thing. I promise it's not more doom and gloom!" he said holding his hands up in response to the disbelieving look Alton gave him. "Captain Mapstone has asked that you write out a report on the wall and the progress so far and send it back to the castle. The king would like a more detailed, first-hand account of the process for the records. It's also to help piece together everything they've been receiving through Trace and Connly. Dale is to take it back and she's also to take Condor back with her."

Dale would enjoy the chance to go back to Sacor City. She hadn't been back there pretty much since she arrived at the wall. He knew Condor was more than ready to go back to his Rider. Alton, however, did not relish the thought of having to write such a comprehensive report. He didn't have the time for it, especially given this news.

"All right, I'll get on it. Thanks for keeping us informed Fergal."

"Good luck," Fergal said before walking back through the archway. Alton watched him go before passing a hand over his face and turning back to Merdigen. He looked as horrified as Alton was. For once, since the first time that Alton had met him, the projection had been rendered speechless. They stared at each other for a minute, their minds reeling with all of the implications of this new development. Finally Alton broke the silence.

"I think we're going to need some help."

**A/N: As always I would love to know what you think. Leave me a message after this note.~ Naomi**


	7. The Missing Piece

**A/N: I swear, this story seems to write itself somedays. The only reason it takes me so long is because I write everything by hand. Some new POVS for you in this chapter! I had some fun writing this one. DISCLAIMER: Any thing, one, or place that you may recognize belongs solely to Kristen Britain. ENjoy!**

**Estora**

Estora walked through the corridors of the castle shadowed by her contingent of Weapons. She had to restrain her hands from straying up to her head every now and then to touch the silver circlet that was nestled there in her golden tresses. Even after nearly three months the metal band still felt alien to her. It still hadn't quite settled in her mind that she really was _queen_ of Sacoridia. Maybe it was because if felt exactly like being Lady Estora only she now shared a bed with the king, had her own Weapons that followed her around day and night, and people now called her "Your Majesty" instead of "My Lady." On second thought, maybe it was a bit different.

The sun had just gone down and the torches were being lit in the corridors as she walked. Estora didn't pay much attention to them as lost as she was in her own thoughts, which were on the return of Karigan two days prior.

She had been happy that Karigan had returned to the castle alive, yet another part of her felt disappointed that her friend had made it home. After their wedding night, Estora knew why the king always seemed to hold Karigan in such high regard. It wasn't because of all the services she had rendered to the kingdom or all her heroic deeds; it was because he was in love with her. Estora felt completely blind to have not seen it before. This was why the king had been so reluctant in agreeing to the marriage contract proposed by her father. He was in love with another woman.

When she went back and took a closer look at Karigan's actions over the months prior to her departure for Blackveil, Estora came to the conclusion that the feeling was more than a little mutual. This explained why Karigan had started avoiding her after the news of her betrothal to Zachary. It wasn't because of any perceived sleight on Estora's part; it was because Estora was going to marry the man Karigan loved. Of course, they both could see it possibly could never be. He was the king and she was a commoner and a Green Rider.

Estora sighed as she nodded at a passing courtier. As much as she hated to admit it, a disturbingly large part of her had hoped that Karigan wouldn't make it back from Blackveil. She was jealous of the love her friend and her now husband had for each other, even if they could never act on it. She had always dreamed of having a love like that, but she knew she could never have that now. After news reached them of Karigan's disappearance, things had improved between her and Zachary to the point that she really thought she might have a chance at that kind of love. He had become more attentive and considerate and seemed to genuinely care about her. Estora had rejoiced at it. While a part of her heart would always belong to F'ryan, she had come to love Zachary over the last several months, even before they were married. After spending nearly every waking moment with him she had come to know and understand him in a way that no one else could. He truly was a remarkable man and a great king.

Upon Karigan's return it was like they were back at square one again. He had been restless the past two days, always moving and almost completely ignoring her. It seemed that nearly every hour of the first day after her return he was sending a Green Foot runner to the Mending Wing for an update on her. Mistress Elayne finally sent a frustrated and terse note back with the last runner saying in no uncertain terms that he was disrupting her patients and her menders and that there was no change as of yet and he would be the first to know if there was.

Estora hardly saw him anymore as he had thrown himself into matters of the kingdom to release some of his energy, barely pausing long enough to eat. She had felt more than a little hurt at his simply setting her off to the side as soon as Karigan had entered back into his life. Zachary didn't seem to be willing to do anything about it either. Estora figured that she would just have to take matters into her own hands. She was married to Zachary now and she intended to keep it that way. With this in mind she bent her steps toward the Mending Wing.

**Estral**

Estral was sitting cross-legged in the grass outside of her tent, enjoying the early spring weather and the feel of the sun on her face. It seemed that since she had lost her voice, all of her other senses had become more heightened. Her fingers idly trailed over the strings of her traveler's harp as she watched the bustle of the camp. The harp was her only means of exercising her craft now that her voice was gone. She felt like someone had cut off a limb without her voice.

Her days since had been spent in the much of the same fashion as today. She would sit somewhere around the camp with her harp or spare pieces of parchment with a quill and ink and just listen, occasionally she would play something. For the most part people left her alone. Many in the camp treated her as an outcast because of the way she lost her voice. Most Sacoridians still deeply distrusted magic. A few of the soldiers she had made friends with would keep her company while they were on watch, and of course the Riders never left her alone for very long. Every now and then she would accompany Alton on his ventures with the wall.

Estral cleared her mind of everything as she plucked at the strings of her harp. She didn't have any particular tune in mind. She was merely playing for the sake of playing. The melody twisted and leaped and bent to suit whatever mood she was in. She closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the music.

She sat that way for several minutes until a shadow fell over her, darkening the red tint of her closed eyelids. She opened her eyes to see Alton standing in front of her, looking down at her with a soft smile. She paused her playing and looked at him expectantly.

"I hate to interrupt you, but I need your help with something," he said.

Estral gave him a quizzical look as she set her harp aside. He held out a hand to her and helped her to her feet. She set her harp back in its case and tucked it under her arm. Alton took her hand and led her through the encampment, toward the wall.

Estral was wondering what he could possibly need her help with. She didn't have any experience that could help fix the breach in the wall. Alton seemed to sense her unvoiced question as he began to explain while they walked. She was still amazed at how much closer they had become since she had lost her voice. They could know what each other was thinking without having to say a thing. She listened carefully to his explanation as they walked.

"Merdigen, the other tower guardians, and I have been trying to puzzle out a piece of the magic described in the book, but none of us can figure it out. I have this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that it's important. I think it may be a key part to what hold the wall together. This is where you come in.

"Magic and good masonry aren't the only things that hold the wall together. There is also the music, the song sung by the guardians. I thought that maybe with your minstrel training and your extensive background in music, you might be able to see something we missed.

Estral shrugged. She doubted she'd find anything new, but she would give it a go. If nothing else, it was new way to spend the afternoon and she could spend some more time with Alton. That was something she definitely enjoyed.

**Rory**

Rory always liked being in the Mending Wing when he wasn't a patient there. His father had been an apothecary in the coastal village they had lived in when he was growing up. He had actually started training to take over his father's business before he joined the Black Shields. The sights and smells and sounds of the Mending Wing reminded him of home and his family. If only his sister-at-arms could feel the same.

All of the Black Shields had been happy after hearing of Karigan's return to the castle. She was the closest one could get to being a Weapon without having had the formal training. Upon hearing of the activities in the Tombs and Fastion's plan for keeping Karigan safe, Rory had readily volunteered to take the first watch over her. This vigil seemed like the least they could do for her after everything Karigan had done for king and country.

Although, Rory was rather angry at the moment with the king that he served, not that he would show it. All the Weapons knew of the feelings the king and Karigan had for each other. Being trained in observation and spending large amounts of time with both of them, it was next to impossible to not see it. So Zachary's actions only moment's ago had stunned and angered him, along with Ross and Donal who were on duty. He would have never expected that kind of behavior from his monarch. It was something a petulant four-year-old would do, not a full-grown man who was in charge of an entire kingdom.

The door had been left ajar when the king had entered the room and Rory had been able to listen to the entire conversation. It also meant that he could hear Karigan's sobs after the king left. He wanted to offer her some kind of comfort, but he sensed that she probably wouldn't welcome any at the moment. Eventually the sobs trailed off. Rory pushed the door open to see that Karigan had finally fallen asleep. He gently closed the door and resumed his post outside.

A few minutes later he heard the sounds of an approaching party. Rory looked at the entrance to the Mending Wing just as Queen Estora walked through, followed by her Weapons. Judging from the look on her face, Rory knew exactly why the Queen was here. He stepped in front of Karigan's door as they approached.

"Weapon Rory, I wish to see Karigan," the queen said coming to a halt.

"I'm sorry Your Majesty, but I can't let you in."

"I am the Queen and I wish to see her," Estora insisted.

"She's sleeping Your Majesty and she's not to be woken per Mistress Elayne's orders," he insisted, not relaxing his stance. He knew the queen wasn't thinking clearly at the moment and knew why she wanted to see Karigan. He was willing to go to any lengths necessary to spare his friend anymore heartbreak tonight.

The queen eyed him for a moment before finally conceding defeat. "Alright, she does need her rest. I'll try again in the morning."

"Of course Your Majesty."

As she nodded and walked off he called after her. "One more thing Your Majesty, if I may?" She turned back to look at him, arching an eyebrow in question.

"She knows, Your Majesty." The Queen's face turned pink as she caught his implied meaning and also realized he had figured out her reasons for coming there.

"Good night Rory."

"Good night Your Majesty."

He watched her leave the Mending Wing before he relaxed a little. The Second Empire may not be the only thing that Karigan needed protection from.

**Estora**

Estora walked back to her chambers feeling appalled with herself. Had she really gone to see Karigan with the intent of warning her off? Had she really become that petty? She was also chagrined that the Weapon Rory had figured out her intentions and barred her from the room. She had been irritated at the time, but now she was grateful that he had as it prevented her from looking anymore of a fool than she already was. She should probably work on keeping her face from giving her away though. That was a dangerous thing at the court.

She felt like a little child who hadn't gotten what they wanted so she wanted to inflict that on someone else, ruining one of the truest friendships she had ever had in the process. She was such a fool for letting her jealousy get the better of her. As far as she could tell, nothing had happened between the king and Karigan. She needed to learn to trust her friends more; something that was easier said than done when one was living at the court of Sacoridia. Zachary wouldn't break the contract between them; he was too noble and honorable for that. Karigan had too much pride and self-respect to throw herself after a man she could never have. Estora passed a hand over her face as she reached the door to the royal apartments. No one ever told her that being queen would be this stressful.

She opened the door and entered the rooms beyond, leaving her Weapons outside. She was surprised to find Zachary sitting in one of the armchairs by the fire, one of his beloved terriers curled in his lap. He was watching the flames, but he looked up at her with a smile when she entered. He set the dog on the floor and stood, walking over to greet her.

"Good evening my dear," he said greeting her with a kiss. Estora was surprised. He rarely did things like this. She wasn't complaining though, she would take what she could get. She was stunned, however, when the kiss turned passionate and his hands curled possessively around her waist. He had never done anything like _this_. Estora's heart leapt with joy. Maybe there wasn't anything to worry about after all.

When Zachary started leading her toward the bedroom, she had a moment of doubt, remembering the only other time they had done this. But it was his choice this time and when he whispered _her_ name at the end-her name, not anyone else's-Estora could have wept with joy. So why did she have a nagging suspicion in the back of her mind that something wasn't right?

**A/N: Is the timeline confusing anyone since the castle POVS are about 12 hours behind the wall POVS? I didn't notice this until today. Let me know so that I can go and fix it if I need to. As always I love to know what you think~Naomi**


End file.
